The information below will give you an overview of the publishing process and how to prepare your research for publishing. This content has been written for the beginner researcher, whether you are a student or a professor just getting started in writing your first research paper. If you are a veteran researcher, please feel free to review and let me know if you do not agree with anything, or have had a different experience. The purpose is not to teach you how to research, but to give you ideas on how to get your research published when it’s ready. So let’s get started!

Publishing Your Research

Upon completion you will have an understanding of the publishing process and the basic requirements for preparing your research for publishing. You will have an understanding of the type of journals that are available and the requirements for preparing your manuscript.

Why Conduct Research?

Why should you conduct research? Research allows you to learn more about your field and advance the science. Faculty conduct research to win promotion and to become better professors. Students conduct research to increase their knowledge and become more valuable to potential employers. Plus, research can be challenging and fun.

What Do You Want to Research?

What you want to study is up to you. Maybe it was something that you learned about in a previous class and wanted to learn more about, maybe you want to contribute to the overall advancement or knowledge of the subject. Just think, something that you discover, no matter how small, can be used to further human knowledge on the subject. If you discover something, and tell someone through publishing your results, another researcher can use that knowledge and take it to the next step. So after you conduct your research you should publish the results, and the great thing is that you can even publish when you don’t find anything – that’s the cool thing about research -- finding nothing is not considered a failure, because it allows researchers to look down another path.

The research process is not indicative of the aforementioned, however modules 1 through 7 may answer your questions on the research process. The Hunt Library also has resources that can help you through the research process. However, the purpose of this module is not to teach you how to conduct research, but how to get your research published once the research process is complete.

Journals

The document below contains a list of some of the aviation-related journals, along with contact information. This is not an complete list, but it should get you started in tracking down journals that may accept your manuscript.

Picking the Right Journal

Review the journal to ensure your line of research and writing style meets the purpose of the journal. Most journals will have a stated purpose and are looking for articles that match that purpose. If the journal is titled Aerodynamics, a paper on ramp safety no matter how good is not relevant to that journal and will be rejected.

Paid vs. Non-Paid Journals

In the past, paid journals were looked down on, but they are becoming more and more common as journals look for revenue streams to continue to publish. Some journals will accept a paper and put it in line for publishing, which may be some time down the road, but they will move you up in the queue if you pay a fee. Fees normally run a few hundred dollars, but in turn your manuscript is normally published sooner. But be careful. Some paid journals do not conduct reviews and the quality of the papers published in them is therefore dubious. You may have a good solid paper, but without some type of review your paper will be questioned.

Journal Resources

When deciding which journal to submit your manuscript to, you may want to consider the quality and reputation of the journal. Journals are normally ranked on the factors of impact and rejection rate. The impact factor is a measure of how often articles are cited in other journals. The rejection rate can normally be found on a journal's website and gives an indication of how many articles are rejected by the journal. A higher impact factor and a higher rejection rate indicate a journal's quality. While considering a journal's quality and reputation is important, just as important is to ensure that you submit your manuscript to a journal that fits your research.

Review the submission requirements normally published on the journal's website, and follow them closely. Most journals will accept electronic submissions, but some still want a printed copy of your manuscript.

Make sure that your paper outlines the proper research process you followed and that the results support your research question. Also, the question should be based on previous research unless using grounded theory methodology, which requires that the researcher start with no preconceived notions about the subject.

When you are ready, submit your manuscript and then be prepared to wait. A few journals will review your manuscript within a month or two, but this is not the norm. Expect four to six months. During your wait do not get frustrated and submit to another journal, as this is unethical. You have to formally withdraw your manuscript or wait for a response from the journal before submitting elsewhere.

Quality of Academic Journals

This is a brief introduction to outline the learning objectives for the tutorial about Quality of Academic Journals.

This short tutorial discusses quality in the context of the academic setting in regard to its contribution to society and its impact on others. Examples are provided using Embry-Riddle's Hunt Library for database searches that include the powerful Social Science Citation Index tool available to all faculty, staff, and students.

Beyond: Undergraduate Research Journal

Beyond: Undergraduate Research Journal is a research publication of the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Office of Undergraduate Research. The journal features research by undergraduate students at the Daytona Beach, Prescott, and Worldwide campuses.

Please note: you must have an account in Scholarly Commons to submit a manuscript. Click on My Account to log-in or create a new account. To upload a manuscript for consideration, click on the Submit Article link. If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Undergraduate Research at 386.226.6424 or email dbugrsch@erau.edu.